


Life Goes On

by BigFatBumblebee



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Family, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, Lineage Banter, M/M, Master & Padawan Relationship(s), a day in the life
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-01 02:21:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 17,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23237617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BigFatBumblebee/pseuds/BigFatBumblebee
Summary: The Clone Wars are in full swing, the Galaxy is going to hell in a handbasket and everybody is pushed to their limits.But life goes on and these are short stories, centered around Obi-Wan Kenobi, of the small moments that make up the bigger ones.
Relationships: In the background, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 108
Kudos: 516
Collections: Mace Windu Fandom Safe Space





	1. Kenobi Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cody and Rex get an insight into a unique Jedi lineage and their traditions.

Their Jedi were late. Not so late that the 212th would send out a search party, but late enough that they could conclude something had not gone according to plan.

“Maybe we should’ve invited Kix?”

Cody looked at Rex standing at attention beside him, both clones managing to hide their unease.

“They’d just keep on flying right past us if they see Kix waiting for them.”

Rex snorted, that was true. He was always fascinated at how Kix and his medical bag were far more intimidating to both Generals than an army of clankers and a wheezy cyborg.

“Incoming” Cody muttered, as the Landing Clearance claxons blared into life at last and both men let out a breath.

Rex inspected the twilight as it entered the hanger aboard the Negotiator, and felt Cody doing the same. It looked slightly battered, but no worse than usual and he felt himself relax a little as the engines powered down and the ramp finally descended.

Cody made a jerky movement towards the ship but aborted it when he heard the voices within.

“…nothing more than a stroke of luck”

“There is no luck Master, only the Force – ow!”

“Nobody likes a smartarse.”

Ah yes, they were back.

Rex could hear the voices coming closer to the ramp, accompanied by Commander Tano’s high pitched laughter.

“Honestly Master I thought you were classier than this. Don’t be a sore loser.”

“…show you classy next time we’re in the dojo.”

More laughter. Rex felt himself smiling beside himself, his amusement increased even further as Cody simply rolled his eyes.

The three Jedi made swift strides down the ramp, dirty and a little bedraggled but no worse for wear than normal when they’d been off on missions.

General Kenobi looked decidedly sour faced, pushing his fringe back as he walked, whereas General Skywalker swaggered off the ship, sporting a wide grin with an arm slung over Commander Tano’s shoulders.

“Cody, Rex!” he greeted jovially “Great to see you!”

Rex raised his eyebrows.

“Generals, Commander” he responded. “The mission went well?”

“Yeah we nailed it” Commander Tano and General Skywalker high fived whilst General Kenobi rolled his eyes and cast a long suffering look at the clones.

“It was satisfactory” he handed a data chip to Cody as their little party walked out of the hanger.

“Oh don’t listen to him boys, we got the information and we made it back here in one piece! Mainly thanks to me, of course.”

“Humble as ever Anakin”

General Skywalker ignored his mentor’s quiet sarcasm and fixed him with his smug look.

“Aaand I am owed exactly one favour from our esteemed High General Master Kenobi here” he finished in an irritating a sing song voice.

General Kenobi gave him a dirty look as both clones looked questioningly between the two men but Commander Tano was the one to speak up.

“Master Obi-Wan said ages ago that if the Twilight survived another fire fight, he’d bench press Master Yoda.”

Rex snorted.

“Yes well I was aiming for dramatic effect” the red haired man defended himself. “And the thing is a death trap.”

“And that kind of turned in to an argument” Tano ignored him and carried on.

“A discussion” General Kenobi interjected again.

“Anyway” General Skywalker picked up the tale “ _that_ morphed into Obi-Wan here owing me a favour for slander against my beautiful girl.”

“It’s not slander if it’s true.”

“Ah ha!” General Skywalker suddenly stopped walking and waved a hand in his friend’s face. “But it’s clearly _not_ true because we _were_ in a firefight, in the Twlight and we’re here. Safe and sound and _not_ exploded.” he said triumphantly.

General Kenobi batted the hand away and started walking again.

“He’s got you there Master Obi-Wan” Commander Tano piped up, seemingly unfazed by the look she received in return.

General Kenobi continued walking and gave a put-upon sigh. Resigned blue eyes turned to his former student.

“Fine. What do you want?” he ground out. Rex could practically hear his teeth grinding.

“I want Kenobi Surprise” Rex’s General answered immediately without missing a beat.

“Oh yeah Master Obi-Wan can we have Kenobi Surprise? Please?” Commander Tano joined in with a pleading look, clearly very excited.

“You are both too old for Kenobi Surprise.” the older Jedi chided them both, not breaking his gait. 

The younger Jedi both looked at him scandalized, Cody and Rex exchanged glances.

“Kenobi…what?” Cody asked slowly.

“Oh Cody, Kenobi Surprise is the best!” Tano explained excitedly.

“It definitely isn’t.”

“Yeah it’s like…eating a hug” General Skywalker added unhelpfully, ignoring his partner’s sarcasm once again.

Cody looked at Rex again, his eyebrows climbing.

“So it’s a meal?” he clarified

“Barely” General Kenobi finally chimed in with some answers. “It’s anything edible one can find in the kitchen, fried and covered in cheese.”

“And he means _anything_ ” Skywalker chimed in happily.

Kenobi looked at his younger companions again.

“Hardly a balanced or healthy meal.” He added, a rebuke in his voice.

“Yeah but it’s brilliant!”

“And you invented it!”

Cody turned in surprise to his C.O.

“You invented it Sir?”

Rex noticed General Kenobi’s ears turning pink, a familiar sign of the pale man’s discomfort.

“Ah, yes in a manner of speaking.” he cleared his throat and turned to the two clones “I am…not much of a cook.”

Rex distinctly heard a snort from General Skywalker. 

“Yes well, I was rather on the young side when I took Anakin on and ah, it’s safe to say I wasn’t quite prepared to look after someone” he said with a sardonic smile.

“It was my first night in the Temple, I moved into Obi-Wan’s flat and we couldn’t face the refectory.” General Skywalker picked up the story again, an unmistakeably fond look on his face as he looked at his Master.

Rex knew they had had a somewhat unusual beginning; he had only heard his General speak of it once, late at night by the fire after a lot of alcohol.

“So I, in all my twenty-two years of wisdom, made what I thought could pass for a meal. And thank the Force Anakin had never eaten anything that hadn’t lived under a rock.” General Kenobi seamlessly finished the thought.

“It was great, and we lived off it for a week.” Skywalker added proudly.

“Yeah and now it’s a delicious tradition.” Tano added happily.

It was difficult for Rex, and he knew Cody felt the same, to reconcile a story like that to the viciously competent and capable Jedi Master in front of them. He wondered, not for the first time, about the Order before the war.

“Come on Mater, you _said_ anything” Skywalker continued to wheedle and coax. 

Kenobi raised an eyebrow.

“And I have since learned my lesson on hyperbole” he turned to find Ahsoka looking at him with big pleading green eyes.

Rex looked expectantly at Cody’s General. No sentient could hold up under that.

Sure enough, the formidable war General was no match for The Eyes.

“Ahhh, fine.” He threw up his hands in despair “Fine! I’ll feed you a pile of grease and meat and cheese. See if I care when the stomach-ache kicks in.”

Skywalker and Tano grinned at him.

“Yess!”

They high fived again and Kenobi shook his head.

“All my hours of cooking lessons and this is what you fixate on.”

Skywalker snorted again.

“Er, Master I’m not sure the cooking lessons were maybe the best use of time” he said, patting his friend on the arm.

“Oh well thank you _very_ much.”

General Kenobi stopped as they reached his cabin. He turned to face Rex and his Commander. 

“Well Gentlemen, apparently we’re throwing something of a dinner party the next time we’re in the Temple. Dress uniform won’t be necessary but do feel free to bring a bottle of something.” He said briskly, struggling to locate his key card for the door.

Rex looked at him and blinked, exchanging an unsure glance with Cody, who looked just as taken aback.

“Oh you’re going to love it!” Commander Tano exclaimed excitedly not waiting for a reply. “Thanks Master Obi-Wan”.

General Skywalker simply pushed ahead of Kenobi, proceeding to open the door himself and heading into the rooms beyond, shrugging off his cloak and then Rex heard the distinct sounds of boots being thrown off. 

“Oh do please feel free to make yourself at home Anakin” Kenobi looked despairingly after the young man and followed him inside with Commander Tano.

“Well we’ll see you for a full debriefing later on Gentlemen, thank you for the welcoming party.” The High General stuck his head out of the door distractedly before looking back into the room.

“Anakin pick up your boots.”

“Snips put the kettle on would you?”

The door closed and the two brothers were left standing in the empty corridor, the new silence deafening.

“Wow” Cody breathed, wide eyes looking at Rex for validation.

“Yeah.”

They looked at each other a moment longer before starting slowly down the corridor.

“Kenobi Surprise.” Cody snorted. “Nobody’s going to believe that one.”

Rex laughed out loud.

“What kind of drink do you bring to a Jedi dinner party?”

“I have absolutely no idea Vod.”


	2. A Teaching Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin teaches Ahsoka on the dangers of attachment, and feels bad doing it.

“Ugh do you have to be so pedantic?”

“I am not being pedantic I’m just _trying_ to maximise our chances of getting out alive.”

Ahsoka's grandmaster’s usually even tones were laced with a particular kind of frustration reserved for her Master.

They had been at it for the better part of four hours, the three of them occupying Master Obi-Wan’s small suite on board _The Negotiator_. She had a comfortable spot on the couch to catch up on some coursework whilst the two Jedi Knights prepared a mission plan to present to the Council and the troops.

Or rather, tried to prepare.

Skyguy had started pacing a solid hour ago and Master Obi-Wan’s piles of data pads appeared to have reproduced and were now covering the small table in front of him.

“We’re almost there.” The elder Jedi ran a hand over his face and gave a frustrated sigh. “If only we knew the guard rotation patterns we could guarantee a safe entry. I want to leave as little to chance as possible.”

Her Master gave a grunt of acknowledgement and flopped down heavily on the sofa. Popping his head up over the back to look at his friend.

“Well you were in there once Master, didn’t you take note of the timings and rotation of the palace guards? It was only eight years ago” he asked in a lightly teasing tone.

Obi-Wan gave him an amused look.

“No I’m afraid I wasn’t able to pay much attention to the garrison, I was too busy being waterboarded at the time” he said flippantly. 

Anakin’s easy smile quickly turned into a scowl.

“Yeah we’re still not joking about that actually” he said in an uncharacteristically reproachful tone, fixing a look of disapproval on the other man.

There was a moment of silence, and for a moment Ahsoka swore she saw a soft look flash over her Grandmaster’s features.

“Sorry.”

A grunt from Anakin and both went back to their task in silence. Ahsoka watched the exchange in confusion. She could count the times Skyguy had told anybody off on one hand, and that included her. She looked at them both, dithering, before she spoke.

“What’s Water Boarding?” She asked curiously.

Both men froze, and the atmosphere in the small cabin plummeted.

“Er…never you mind Snips” her Master looked at her with an awkward attempt at casual smile. He took her data pad off her and glanced at it “You’ve been cooped up in here for ages, why don’t you see what’s going on in the mess?”

She looked at him, about to protest. She wasn’t a baby! She wasn’t scared! Glancing over at Master Obi-Wan for backup she found he had an inscrutable look on his face that she didn’t quite know what to do with.

“I…sure Master” gathering herself she stood up “I guess I’ll see you later?”

“Sure Snips”

“See you later Ahsoka.”

She felt their eyes on her as she walked away, her bond with Skyguy sending her nothing but the usual amount of fondness.

Well they could keep their secrets. She had access to the holonet after all.

Anakin watched the teenager head out, staring after her for a second. _She was so damn young._ His own apprenticeship had been spent travelling the stars having adventures, watching his Master in action and righting all the wrongs in the Galaxy, one mission at a time. It almost physically hurt to think of his Padawan missing all that for the misery of war.

“She is a Jedi Padawan, Anakin, you can’t protect her from the realities of the Universe.”

The familiar gentle voice of his Master cut through the silence of the cabin, and Anakin was unable to stop himself from scowling.

“Yeah but she doesn’t have to imagine her Grandmaster getting tortured.” He snapped, not looking up.

Obi-Wan shifted in his seat and sighed.

Well he could shove his disapproval; Anakin was going to protect his precious Padawan for as long as possible.

\---

Several hours, one storm off, three cups of caff and one glass of rum later they had A Plan. It was bold, combining Anakin’s and Obi-Wan’s strengths it was risky but well thought out. Perilous but clever. Anakin was rather pleased with it, Obi-Wan The Pedant was still unhappy but it was the best they were going to get.

He was nursing glass of rum number two when there was a familiar tug on his training bond that signalled Ahsoka’s approach. He smiled as she came in.

“Snips, you manage to get something to eat? We could head to…” he trailed off. She was just standing there in the doorway, a dejected look on her face and an unhappy feeling in their bond.

“Hey, hey Snips” he said gently, setting his rum down and standing up he pulled her in for a hug. “What’s wrong?”

“I…I looked up Waterboarding” she said quietly, sadness leaking into the Force.

“Oh” was the only thing he could think of.

_Dammit Obi-Wan!_

He released her and steered them both back to the sofa.

“I can’t believe that happened to Master Obi-Wan” she said, looking at him with big eyes, clearly hoping he’d deny it.

Anakin sighed. He had been hoping to put this conversation off for…well, forever if he was honest with himself.

“I…” he frowned and tried again. “It’s a tough Galaxy Ahsoka, especially for Jedi, I don’t have to tell you that.” She opened her mouth to reply when he held up a finger. “On any given mission we’ll have to face things nobody else has to. We’re hated and feared and completely unappreciated and we get hurt a lot. It’s the nature of our work and, at some point” he paused, softening his tone even further “you’re going to have to decide if that’s something you can live with.”

She nodded thoughtfully, and he let it sink in. He had no reasons, no excuses and no platitudes to offer.

“I know Master, I’m not naïve” She looked at him determinedly. “I want to be a Jedi and I know it’s not easy”

He felt his heart swell with pride as he watched her thinking it over. They hadn’t hit the heart of the problem, he knew.

“I don’t think you’re naïve Snips, just inexperienced.” He assured her. “Why does this leave you so upset?” he probed.

Again she looked thoughtful for a moment.

“Because…because …it’s not fair!”

Anakin raised his eyebrows encouragingly.

“Search your feelings Padawan,” _I can’t believe I just said that_. “That’s true for a lot of the things we come across.”

He watched as understanding dawned.

“It’s because it happened to Master Obi-Wan.” She said, resignation in her voice.

He nodded.

“Sure, but you’ve seen us both in the healers after missions and battles. Why is this different?”

They were getting there, and Anakin had the feeling he was about to be the Galaxy’s biggest hypocrite.

“Because I…like Master Obi-Wan and there’s nothing I can do about him getting hurt, I can’t make it better. I can usually try and make it better, or watch your backs” she said quietly, and his heart broke a little. She paused, seemingly searching for words. “It’s weird, I know you guys got hurt without me but, I dunno” she frowned. “This seems more real.”

“I know Padawan. It’s hard to imagine someone you care about suffering and feeling helpless about it. But with abilities like ours feelings like that can easily become the road to something dangerous” He raised his eyes to the ceiling “it’s why we need to be mindful of attachment.”

There, he said it. And he felt wretched. Why shouldn’t his Padawan, his girl, experience the same glorious feelings of love, trust and safety that he did? It wasn’t fair.

She looked at him, and he rather thought the blank look on her face was very careful, deliberate, but it could be his paranoia.

“Yeah I know.” She looked away. “Doesn’t stop it feeling rubbish.”

He nodded and released a long breath.

“Why don’t I help you with your shitty mood?” he offered, getting off the sofa and on to the floor, and then immediately winced when she giggled at the expletive.

“Don’t tell Obi-Wan” he said and winked as he gestured for her to join him on the floor in a meditative pose.

They breathed together and opened themselves up to the Force and each other. In, and out.

“Take a moment Ahsoka, and recognise what you’re feeling. Understand it. Question it.” He instructed.

She made a noise of affirmation.

“Take your time. When you understand what you’re feeling you can deal with it. Think about how you can avoid feeling like this in the future, or how you can come to terms with it.”

She was silent but he could feel her falling deeper into the Force. Good.

“You’ve recognised the feeling, understood it, dealt with it, and now when you’re ready you can let it go” he instructed gently, pushing a wave of gentle encouragement through the Force.

He opened his eyes and sat for a moment. He was still relatively new to this teaching business, but Obi-Wan had always taught him it was a Master’s job to make sure the Padawan ended up better than the Master.

Well, they were both rubbish at this sort of thing, so it should be easy to make sure Ahsoka wasn’t as bad as the rest of her little lineage. Obi-Wan was great at recognising his emotions and shoving them into the Force without dealing with them, and Anakin was self-aware enough to know he was good at recognising and taking action on his feelings, but he never let them go and he didn’t always fully understand them.

It was a hard lesson to teach, and Force knows he wasn’t qualified to teach it. But for her, he’d give it his best shot. She deserved everything he could give her.


	3. Who’s cool?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ahsoka wants a tattoo. Anakin tries in vain to prove you can be cool without one. Obi-Wan just wants to read his philosophy.

Ahsoka was bored. If Obi-Wan had been as Force sensitive as a muja berry he would’ve been able to tell. As it was, the teenager’s fidgety shuffling and repositioning was accompanied by a feeling of restlessness in the Force.

Lying supine on the squashy sofa in his Temple flat, the Jedi Master allowed himself a small smile. Anakin had been much the same at that age. Currently though, the Knight himself was sitting on the chair opposite, perfectly at peace engrossed in his reading.

Ahsoka rolled over on to her back on the floor, pad held high in the air at risk of falling on to her face. Obi-Wan felt a little guilty.

“Ahsoka, is Padawan Offee in the Temple at the moment?” he asked kindly.

The Togruta stared up at him, and then at her own Master, who was looking at her lazily over his datapad.

She shook her head.

“We’re meeting later Master.” She went back to her reading.

“You could get away early if you like, you really don’t have to stay” he assured her. “Neither of you do, I’m perfectly capable of seeing to myself” he finished, fixing Anakin with an imploring look. It was rare they got downtime in the temple and he didn’t want them to waste it stuck in with him.

All he got in response was a derisive snort from Anakin.

“Master, you’ve got a foot the size of Tatooine.” The young man held up a hand when Obi-Wan opened his mouth to protest. “If we leave you alone for more than ten minutes, you’ll be up making tea and then you’ll fall on your face and we’ll find you in a few weeks half eaten by mouse droids.”

Ahsoka giggled and Obi-Wan fixed his best mock-glare on his dramatic friend.

“Mouse droids don’t eat people.” He pointed out. Anakin just shrugged, not to be deterred.

“I bet they would if they had the chance. Vicious little things.”

Despite himself, Obi-Wan smiled.

It was indeed his fault they had some downtime. Their last tangle with battle droids had left him with a left foot that was broken in two places, and he had been unable (and unwilling) to seek medical attention in good time. Leading to his current predicament of being under strict orders to rest his foot and recuperate.

“Besides” Anakin continued “how often do we get to do nothing?” he asked rhetorically. Obi-Wan said nothing but Ahsoka scowled.

“We’ll be doing nothing for ages on Senate Duty” she grumbled.

“Ugh” The Knight made a disgusted noise. Neither of them were happy with their assignment.

“Now then” Obi-Wan chided his companions gently “It’s an important job, particularly at the moment.” His former Padawan gave him an intensely unimpressed look and Ahsoka went back to scowling at her datapad. “And it’s about time you two learned some patience” he finished with a slight smile.

“We’re patient!”

Obi-Wan just snorted and all three went back to their respective reading for a moment. He knew the other two might find it boring but he himself was in heaven. It was warm and cozy in the flat, his comm hadn’t rang in at least an hour, and he was catching up on an interesting philosophical work that had been on his list for ages.

“If we tattooed a dirty word on our faces, we probably wouldn’t have to do it.” Ahsoka’s thoughtful, and worryingly serious sounding, suggestion broke the silence.

Obi-Wan burst out laughing.

“You are not getting a tattoo.” Her Master said flatly. Ahsoka pouted.

“Oh come _on_ Master. It’s not a big deal! Loads of Padawans have them.” She turned large pleading eyes on her Master.

Obi-Wan’s curiosity was piqued.

“Padawan, you don’t _really_ want a rude word on your face, do you?” he asked dubiously, looking at her from his horizontal position. She opened her mouth, but Anakin beat her to it.

“No, Snips here has been _pestering_ me about getting a tattoo for ages” he explained frustratedly. He rounded on Ahsoka, waving his pad at her. “The only tattoo you’re getting until you’re of age is one that says ‘Master’s little sunshine’” he said to her firmly. “In a love heart. With sparkles” he added for good measure.

Obi-Wan was fairly certain his Grand-Padawan’s glare and subsequent huff could’ve withered all the plants in the temple gardens.

“See? Not all Tattoos are cool” Anakin finished smugly in the face of his apprentice’s moody silence.

“What would you know about cool?” she asked incredulously, sitting up crossed legged. Anakin looked at her askance.

“Hey! I’m cool! Look at me” he gestured down at his sitting form “I’ve got synth-leather tabards.”

Ahsoka looked at him sceptically and Obi-Wan scoffed.

“Anakin, you speak binary” he pointed out, fairly certain that wasn’t at all cool. 

The man in question gave him a very dirty look.

“Binary _is_ cool, droids are awesome.” He gestured accusingly at his Master, eyebrows raised. “And what about you? What are you reading Master? Some philosophical essay in a dead language?” he asked mockingly.

Obi-Wan felt his ears go a little pink.

“It’s not an essay” he said quietly, refusing to look at his friend as Anakin laughed triumphantly and Ahsoka let out a small giggle.

“What language is it in Master Obi-Wan?” Ahsoka asked curiously.

“Classical Ubese” he muttered, still not looking at the laughing pair. He rolled his eyes. “It’s not a dead language!” he said defensively. Unsurprisingly, it didn’t help.

“Alright fine, so neither of us is cool. Let’s all just go back to reading our philosophy” he said calmly, pointedly ignoring their snickers.

“Er no, we just established that-“ Anakin started

“Yes” Obi-Wan interrupted him loudly clearing his throat and not looking up. “Very interesting philosophy”.

“Master Obi-Wan I think you’re cool”

“Sorry Ahsoka I can’t hear you over all the enlightenment – Oh.” He caught himself. “Thank you Padawan” he smiled benevolently. “There’s biscuits in the tin, help yourself.”

He was rewarded with a grin and the teenager scrambled to her feet.

“…I like biscuits.” Anakin pointed out sulkily.

Obi-Wan sighed.

“What am I?” he asked expectantly.

“Very cool.”

“Correct.”


	4. Drinking alone, together.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long war so far, and Obi-Wan wants to drink alone and in anonymity. The Galaxy, and his friends, has other ideas.

Obi-Wan Kenobi let out a long breath, feeling the tension leave his body one muscle at a time. 

He looked around happily at the dingy bar he had holed up in and felt a wonderful sense of freedom. Tucked away in a corner booth he was obscured from view of most patrons, and the smoky air gave him more cover. Surrounded by noisy, inebriated beings of all shapes and sizes he felt a sense of peace as he was ignored and overlooked.

Privacy.

Force help him he adored his troops, and Anakin was his best friend. Hells, they were practically brothers. Then there was the rest of his ‘family’ in the busy temple and the other members of the council he spent most of his time with these days, in one capacity or another. He couldn’t wish for better people in his life, but between all of them pulling him this way and that, it had been far too long since he had enjoyed any semblance of solitude.

But here, easily a hundred levels below the temple in a cheap, dirty bar, he was able to enjoy the simple and rare treat of a quiet, thoughtful pint. An introvert at heart, his role in the war and his position within the Order had pushed him further into the spotlight than he was comfortable.

 _‘Oh yes’_ he thought as someone brushed past his table barely sparing him a glance. This was fast becoming his favourite place.

He glanced at his com in front of him on the table. Eight messages since he last checked half an hour ago. He ran a hand over his face, he couldn’t be bothered to open them. Leaning into the Force he searched for danger and was met with the usual hum of life. A feeling of vague distress that was the usual state of the Force at the moment, but nothing urgent and no danger.

He went back to his drink, and to his thoughts. He really should sort out his messages, Bant had been waiting for a reply far longer than she deserved.

Picking up his pint again he froze. He had company.

Opening himself up to the Force again he closed his eyes in frustration for a moment when he recognised the masterly presence of his visitor.

“Master” he greeted the figure, now standing in front of him on the other side of the table, wearing a very unimpressed look. “This is not your usual haunt” he pointed out with a polite smile.

Mace Windu looked down at him.

“Indeed.”

Obi-Wan was constantly amazed at the Master of the Order’s ability to pack so much meaning in to one word. The man in question looked pointedly around the grotty bar.

“I was not aware it was yours” he continued. Obi-Wan smirked at him.

“I am full of surprises”

Mace rolled his eyes.

“What are you _doing_ here Obi-Wan? I’ve left you about four messages.”

Obi-Wan sighed. He did feel a little guilty now, he had wanted to simply take some time for himself, he hadn’t meant to be an inconvenience.

“Apologies Mace, I am…” he searched for the right word “decompressing.”

He thought he saw his old friend’s face soften for a moment before he raised his eyebrows incredulously.

“By drinking alone?” he asked dubiously. Obi-Wan nodded and gave a slight smile.

“By drinking alone.” He confirmed happily, pleased Mace seemed to understand. His relief quickly turned to alarm however at the imposing Korun Master’s next words.

“Excellent” he said, and then to Obi-Wan’s dismay he pulled out the chair opposite and sat down in it with a quiet huff.

“Oh ah, Mace if you need something I can certainly help once we’re back in the Temple” he said politely, watching with irritation as the other man summoned a passing serving droid.

“No no, that can wait. I think I’d like a drink.”

It took a lot of self-control for Obi-Wan to keep the disappointment off his face.

“Great” he said. _Go away!_ A small voice inside screamed. All he could do was watch as Mace ordered the same as Obi-Wan.

_Dammit._

They sat for a moment, Obi-Wan geared himself up to make conversation and mentally waved goodbye to his peaceful evening of solitude. He looked up to find thoughtful dark eyes fixed on him.

“It has been a difficult few months” Mace Windu stated softly. Obi-Wan nodded and let out a snort.

“It’s been a difficult few decades my friend.” He countered. Mace nodded in agreement, distracted by the arrival of his drink.

“Well, we have more than earned this” he said, tipping his pint to Obi-Wan.

“Agreed” the younger of the two raised his own in a toast.

“To decompressing”

Obi-Wan smiled a genuine smile at his friend as they clinked glasses and took a mouthful of beer.

The two men settled in for the evening, talking of everything and nothing. The Master of the Order became surprisingly chatty after the first drink; Deepa’s new Padawan was doing very well, though Mace was unsure he was studying the correct sabre form for his abilities. Obi-Wan in turn found himself opening up – there was a lecture series on at the National Library he regretted missing and he was still hopeful of convincing Ahsoka to take an interest in the arts.

It was…pleasant. They sat and debated and joked. Mace was engaging, intelligent company and the two men shared a similar sense of humour. It was a rare opportunity to relax in each other’s company.

The chime of Mace’s comm broke the spell, and Obi-Wan was startled to realise that he hadn’t checked his own in at least two hours.

Mace appeared as surprised as he and took out the offending item to answer it.

 _Oh no don’t-_ Obi-Wan nearly reached over to snatch the com, but self-restraint and common sense kicked in.

“Windu”

 _“Master”_ The unmistakable voice of Deepa Billaba was clear even in the din of (what Obi-Wan had dubbed) the Galaxy’s Worst Band, that had started up whilst they had been drinking.

“Deepa” Mace greeted.

“ _Master where are you? I’ve been looking for you!”_

Mace gave Obi-Wan a long-suffering look. He stifled his laughter.

“I’m having a drink with Obi-Wan” he explained. There was silence on the other end of the com and the diplomat in Obi-Wan winced.

 _“…I like drinking.”_ Deepa pointed out, with a rather insulted huff.

A guilty look flashed across Mace’s face.

“Well, come and join us if you want” he said generously.

Obi-Wan groaned internally. His evening of solitude was turning in to a party! He stubbornly ignored the part of him that was disappointed at the interruption of his alone time with Mace. His slightly tipsy mind couldn’t deny that it was wonderful to be the centre of the impressive man’s attention. He fought against a blush at the realisation.

“ _Oh thank you very much for the kind invite boys”_ Deepa’s sarcasm came through loud and clear. _“I’m with Kit, we’ll be on our way to you soon”_

Obi-Wan liked Kit, he was jolly and cheerful and seemed to invite easy conversation. Deepa was similarly warm and usually brought an interesting new perspective to things.

“Good. We’re in…” Mace looked at Obi-Wan for answers, hand grasping at the air for words. The other Jedi cleared his throat.

“The Happy Tankard” Obi-Wan supplied helpfully into the offered com.

“ _The Happy…?”_ Deepa sighed. “ _Aright we’ll see you there.”_ And with that it was just Mace and Obi-Wan again. And the Galaxy’s worst band.

About half an hour later, in the middle of a debate on the merits of introducing design into the initiate curriculum (Obi-Wan nearly had Mace persuaded, he was sure!) Deepa and Kit interrupted them.

Deepa took one look at their flushed faces and the empty glasses littering their table and ordered four nerf burgers and a large jug of water. Kit, on the other hand, ordered a round of shots.

Balance is important.

Several more drinks, two shots and some kind of neon cocktail later, Obi-Wan found himself supporting a very giggly Deepa, following Mace and Kit towards the speeder taxi rank. The two elder Jedi were singing something slightly rude and Obi-Wan was finding it hard to stay upright in the midst of his laughter.

It was about midnight on a Primeday, he was hungry and exhausted and absolutely hammered and everything was simultaneously incredibly confusing and completely clear. It was brilliant.

He looked around at his friends as he caught them up, meeting Mace’s eye whilst Kit took Deepa and they both worked on summoning a taxi.

“Thank you for tonight.” Those wonderful chocolate brown eyes distracted Obi-Wan for a moment whilst he processed slightly slower than usual.

“Oh” he said in surprise. “I…no it’s-“ he never got to finish his sentence, as Kit clapped him heavily on the shoulder and shepherded them all into a speeder.

Amidst the laughter and noise, Obi-Wan considered that his night of solitary reflection had been rather hijacked.

Thank the Force. 


	5. Who says war can’t be amusing?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Seperatist ship architects have out done themselves with their latest prototype. By all accounts, it resembles something it shouldn't.

On the bridge _of The Negotiator_ Clone Commander Cody stood at attention next to his General and for the first time ever, had to violently supress a giggle.

That was not to say the 212th Attack Battalion were by any means a curmudgeonly bunch. Sure, they weren’t as giddy and jovial as the 501st who, like all Clone battalions, took after their General in temperament and style. The 212th, heavily influenced by their own Jedi’s understated and creative style, found opportunities for fun at every turn.

But not on the bridge. Never on the bridge. When Cody and the command staff were on the bridge of The Negotiator with their General, lives were at stake and they had jobs that needed to be done to the absolute best of their ability. Cody would settle for nothing less.

But right now he was afraid of opening his mouth, and slightly more afraid that someone else would open theirs. It wouldn’t take much for Cody to give. He wondered if his General felt the same.

They were on a recon mission to take a look at, and disable, a prototype separatist vessel that was supposedly able to fire weapons whilst in hyperspace.

Both Cody and General Kenobi had called Banthashit on the claim, because physics, but all the same it was worth checking out. They were to locate the ship and a small team from the 501st, made up of General Skywalker and Commander Rex, were in a small fighter currently hovering beside the Negotiator, waiting to get closer and disable the vessel.

The two men, and the rest of the bridge staff, stood in silence looking at the new separatist ship.

“That’s it then?” General Kenobi asked dubiously.

“Apparently so Sir” Cody choked out.

General Kenobi made a thoughtful noise and tilted his head.

“It’s…not a very traditional design.” Cody made a noise of agreement. “It’s more…curved than one would expect. A little rounder.” He continued.

“Yes Sir.”

“And…” General Kenobi hesitated uncharacteristically “That vertical trench down the middle” he paused. “Does it…does it make it look a bit like…” The Jedi Master trailed off, eyes fixed forwards.

Cody was, if nothing else, a bloody loyal Commander. When his General faltered he was there to pick up the slack.

“It looks like an ass Sir.”

There was a beat of silence.

“It looks like an arse” General Kenobi agreed. “They’ve built a star ship that looks like an arse” he said in wonder, head still tilted, eyes fixed on the ship.

There was another moment of silence that positively crackled, before one of the Shinies finally broke and a laugh that was hastily turned into a cough resonated around the room. 

The spell was instantly broken, and Cody couldn’t help but let out the bubble of laughter that had been building, accompanied by an assortment of snorts, giggles and full belly laughs from the other occupants of the Bridge. Including their General.

Cody had seen the General laugh before, wry chuckles and slightly smug snickers (usually at Skywalker) but it was very rare he’d seen the man properly laugh before.

It was a beautiful sight (objectively, of course. He did NOT have a crush on his Jedi, no matter what Waxer said. Obi-Wan Kenobi was just a very attractive being. According to everyone with eyes). Head thrown back and shoulders shaking, General Kenobi held a hand halfway to his mouth and a wonderfully light tenor laugh sounded like it was coming from the very bottom of his stomach.

They had a collective hysterical meltdown for a solid five minutes. Cody was gasping for breath and the General nearly had tears in his eyes. They were almost bent double with laughter.

“Oh! Oh dear!” General Kenobi attempted to pull himself together. Wiping at his eyes he stood properly. “Ahh we should…we have to-“

He was interrupted by the chirp of an incoming transmission.

“Anakin” General Kenobi greeted, still with a big smile plastered on his face. 

“Hey Obi-Wan”

The wobbly blue miniature figure of General Skywalker looked at them with a distinct smirk from his position on the dash in front of them.

“So, you had a good look at the Seppie’s new try?” he asked innocently.

“Oh yes, they’re truly scraping the bottom of the barrel with this one” his former Mater replied, with a slight twitch of his lips.

That was all it took for Skywalker to crack, and a new round of uncontrollable giggles overtook those present.

Moments later, out of breath and with aching stomach muscles they tried again.

“Ahhhh alright. Alright” General Kenobi cleared his throat. “Right. OK.” He turned back to the hologram of General Skywalker. “Anakin we’ve done a quick scan of the…vessel” he looked down at his console “And it looks like if you can fly in the…” he faltered again and made a strangled sort of noise “the…trench-“

“The ‘crack’ Master?” Skywalker interrupted helpfully with an admirably straight face.

General Kenobi’s cough sounded very forced.

“Yes quite so. You should be able to find an…ah, an exhaust port”

Cody allowed a short sharp laugh to escape.

General Kenobi determinedly avoided eye contact with him.

“Sorry Sir” he muttered.

“Don’t be so _cheeky_ Cody” Skywalker quipped, with a friendly wink. General Kenobi made another high-pitched noise and attempted to ignore them both.

“If you fire a proton torpedo directly at…it” The Jedi Master’s arm waved in the air as if gesturing to something “the ship’s weapons should be incapacitated, if our intelligence is correct.” General Kenobi informed him, still with a sparkle in his eyes. Cody could see he was determinedly biting his lip.

“No problem Master” Skywalker nodded. “We’ll go kick some Seppie ass” he cocked an eyebrow in a manner wholly reminiscent of the man next to Cody. “Literally.”

General Kenobi grinned at him.

“Yes well do be careful Anakin, please keep us informed of your progress, and we’ll watching from _behind_ you”

Skywalker snorted.

“May the Force be with you Master” he said, before the hologram flickered out.

Obi-Wan turned to Cody.

“Force!” he exclaimed, running a hand down his face and breathed deeply. “I haven’t laughed like that since Degeria” he admitted.

Cody nearly started laughing again. That had been quite the battle indeed. He smiled at the memory: A minor member of the aristocracy (who, unfortunately, had his own private army) had needed beating back as a favour to the royal family of Degeria, and the 212th were in the neighborhood. Unfortunately, the man had a flair for the dramatic and a less than stellar grasp of Mando’a.

_“You, Baron Sheltser, are under arrest in the name of the Republic and Her Majesty the Queen of Degeria. You will be taken into custody and turned over to your government for questioning and sentencing.”_

_General Kenobi’s crisp authoritative voice cut through the smoky air as two troopers attempted to restrain the incandescent Baron._

_“You’ll never get away with this!” he shrieked. It was like something from a bad holodrama, Cody thought._

_“I’m sure Baron” General Kenobi sounded bored. And tired._

_“Get your hands off me you filthy clones!” the red-faced being attempted to wriggle out of the troopers grasp to no avail. “You’ll regret this, I’m going to make sure you all “_ Ast’murcyur _” as you would say.” he sneered._

_There was a shocked silence._

_General Kenobi almost dropped his lightsabre._

_“I…I beg your pardon!” he exclaimed, looking absolutely scandalized. “I…well!” he spluttered “I don’t think you will!”_

_Cody just stared at the struggling Baron in front of them. He didn’t know what to say. He’d never been threatened with masturbation before. He wasn’t even sure how that would work._

_“General Sir” Waxer piped up from somewhere to his left. He could hear the amusement in his vode’s voice. “I think he might have been aiming for “_ Ash’Amur”” _he supplied helpfully._

_General Kenobi stared at Waxer for a moment, before looking back at the Degerian._

_“I sincerely hope you just wished a violent death upon us, My Lord” he asked firmly “because I’m afraid I can’t condone the alternative at all” he said firmly._

_That was all it took. It was the spark that lit the fire and suddenly the air was filled with heavy guffaws and giggles. Vod were bent in half leaning on their blasters. Many of them had to take their buckets off, gasping for air and even General Kenobi himself was sporting a broad grin he wasn’t able to hide behind his beard._

It had taken an embarrassingly long time for them to pull themselves together, and Baron Sheltser nearly got away as the two holding him were overcome with hysterics, but not for long.

“Yes Sir that was quite the mission.”

His General grinned at him.

“Who says war can’t be amusing eh Commander?”

Cody smiled back.

“Yes Sir.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mando’a translations: (cobbled together and made up by yours truly from various internet sources. Sorry!)
> 
> Ast’murcyur – Masturbation (literal, “Itself Kiss”)
> 
> Ash’Amur – (die violently in battle)


	6. Kenobi Wrangling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin watches as Mace Windu has his first experience with post-battle Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Anakin Skywalker let out a grunt as with one last push the chunk of door flew to one side, out of the road. It was the final piece of debris that had been preventing medics from getting passed with stretchers, bringing the final injured troopers to the medical tent.

“All clear” he called as clones with flashes of blue, yellow and purple rushed passed him from the still smoky battlefield, supporting each other and shouting instructions as they went.

It had been a hard-won victory, but a worthwhile one. A major blow for the separatists and some much-needed ground gained for the republic. In fact, it had been such a high-profile battle that the 501st had been joined not only by Obi-Wan and the 212th but by Master Windu and the 187th Legion as well.

Fighting with Windu had been…an experience. It was always him and his Master. Kenobi and Skywalker. He and Obi-Wan were a natural fit, fighting beside each other like one warrior and the 501st and the 212th easily fell into a rhythm as always. Having an extra person there, a whole extra legion, threatened at the start to throw off their balance. It was only with a lot of guidance from Obi-Wan that they were able to adapt.

Though Anakin had been unable to shake the added pressure and resentment of having Windu of all people around. Watching him fight, judging him. It left him tense and on edge.

And now he was tired, sore and frustrated. And Windu was still there, breathing down his neck.

“Skyguy, have you seen Master Obi-Wan?”

Anakin released his feelings into the Force as Ahsoka jogged up to him. She looked dirty and sweaty and tired, they all did, but non the worse for wear, thank the Force.

“No, not for ages” Anakin shook his head. “Have you tried medical? He’s probably been dragged there already by Kix.”

It had been a heart stopping moment, he’d watched from atop one of the towers as Obi-Wan held a crumbling building up as long as he could whilst the others got clear, before running away himself but not quite making it. Anakin had nearly sabotaged the whole mission by running down there when his master had been caught by some falling missionary and crumpled to the ground.

Of course, blunt force trauma was never going to stop General Kenobi, and the next Anakin had seen him he’d been up cutting down droids and bellowing orders like nothing had happened. The only sign of his mishap was the blood running from his head.

“No he’s not there Kix sent me to-“

“OBI-WAN KENOBI!”

They both froze in alarm as an angry yell reached them. Anakin felt his jaw drop and Ahsoka’s eyes went wide. Whilst intimidating, he’d never heard Mace Windu properly lose it before. He usually went for more of a threatening, unimpressed tone when he was displeased with something.

Obviously, that hadn’t worked on Obi-Wan. Anakin imagined it was like water off a duck’s back.

The two Jedi were walking towards them. Whilst Windu looked dirty and dishevelled, Anakin’s former Master looked absolutely awful; deathly pale and walking with a limp, his head wound had stopped bleeding but had left a mess of bloodied hair on the right side of his head.

“…being irresponsible and downright stupid!”

“Oh thanks very much” Obi-Wan muttered, obviously distracted by the datapad in his hand, paying no mind to the angry Jedi in front of him.

“Oh for – would you _give me that!_ ” Anakin watched, like one might watch a speeder crash, as Windu yanked the pad out of Obi-Wan’s hands.

“Hey!” He let out an indignant yelp.

“You can’t possibly be able to read this in your state” Windu glanced at what he was holding. “Look at the font size! That’s not _normal_ Obi-Wan!” He waved the pad in the slightly shorter man’s face.

“I made it bigger so I can read it” Obi-Wan clarified, seemingly rather pleased with himself. 

“Oh yes and at three words on one page you’d get through it by next year” Wundi pointed out exasperated. Obi-Wan scowled. Anakin could clearly see he was swaying ever so slightly and felt a pang of sympathy for Windu. Not enough to get involved, but he knew what a pain the ass a concussed Kenobi was.

Thankfully, Windu had made it his problem. More fool him.

“Kenobi you will report to medical this INSTANT or by Force I will make you”

Obi-Wan waved a hand dismissively and reached for the pad

“I’m fine”

Aaaand there it was.

There was a moment of silence from Windu before:

“A WALL. FELL. ON. YOU!” He cried, waving his hands in front of him, all decorum lost.

Anakin was sure if the man had hair he’d be pulling it out at this point.  
  
Obi-Wan pulled up short and turned glassy eyes on the Master of the order, folding his arms, unimpressed. His lips thinned and his forehead creased in a disapproving frown.  
  
Anakin knew that look very well. He’d seen it frequently as a teenager and every time he ignored orders. He held his breath.  
  
"You're rather shouty today" his former master said flatly in between Windu’s ranting. "I can’t say I'm very keen on it" he scolded firmly.  
  
The troops around them froze, giving up all pretence of not listening. Windu looked like he'd swallowed a live fish and Ahsoka gasped in delighted shock. Anakin thought it might be the best day of his life.  
  
For a split second the Korun Jedi looked like he was going to explode, before he visibly took a calming breath.  
  
"I apologise Obi-Wan, I'm very stressed at the moment" he said in a surprisingly gentle tone.  
  
Obi-wan patted him comfortingly on the arm.  
  
'Never mind, why not have a lie down? I'm sure we can handle things from here" 'The Negotiator’'s soft, earnest look was just adorable, and Anakin observed Windu almost physically reining himself in from snapping. It was brilliant.  
  
"A good idea, and a kind offer. Thank you" he said calmly instead. 'Would you escort me to medical please?" He asked politely, as if they were passing in the temple.  
  
Of course, Obi-Wan nodded, only to wince and stop suddenly. He put a hand to the blood matted hair on the side of his head.  
  
"Certainly, we can go now' he said, and then proceeded to turn in the opposite direction to the medical tent. Windu caught his shoulder gently with an exasperated look and guided him around.  
  
"Its this way"  
  
Unfocused eyes looked around in confusion.  
  
"Oh, must've moved it' he mumbled whilst the taller man shepherded him along. “Seems like an odd thing to do”

“Quite. Come along”

Anakin watched in wonder as the Master put a gentle arm around Obi-Wan’s shoulders, and the smaller man finally seemed to sag against him.

Anakin and Ahsoka watched them reach a safe distance, muttering in quiet conversation, before they looked at each other and burst out laughing. 

“Oh poor Master Windu” Ahsoka wiped her eyes as she slid down to join Anakin sitting on the ground clutching his stomach.

“Gods I’ve never seen him get that mad! And at Obi-Wan!”

“I know” Ahsoka giggled before looking a little thoughtful. “We’ll have to remember that one though” she said.

Anakin nodded slowly.

Master Windu had indeed handled it better than Anakin would’ve done (by getting about five clones ready with sedatives and physically dragging Obi-Wan to them, and then putting up with moody silence for the next few days).

It had been a smart move, and Anakin felt himself re-evaluating the serious, judgemental Master.

If it meant he had back up making sure Obi-Wan made it though this dam war without dying from injuries he ignored, maybe having Windu around wasn’t so bad?


	7. What's in a name?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Obi-Wan channels his inner creche master during a relief mission, and a stray tooka might be his legacy.

It was an easy mission, thank the Force. After weeks of battles and hard-won victories the Universe (or, the Jedi Council) had taken pity on the 212th Attack Battalion and they’d been assigned a relief mission on Bottollia, a temperate, relatively untouched planet in the mid-rim.

The brief was simple; get the supplies to the refugee camps, help get those poor displaced souls from the surrounding systems set up with housing and facilities, and then move on to rendezvous with Plo Koon and the 104th. 

It reminded Jedi Master and High General Obi-Wan Kenobi of missions he undertook as a senior Padawan, or a newly minted Knight with Anakin trailing behind him (probably complaining of the cold). When the galaxy was a calmer place and his role was simply to make it better. One planet at a time.

Of course, ‘back in the day’ he was able to move without a handful of clones accompanying him, set on preventing him (with force if necessary, he had been assured) from doing anything even remotely dangerous or strenuous.

_“You literally just stopped wheezing General, you were bleeding on the inside two days ago you can’t be carrying an entire kitchen!”_

Obi-Wan thought back to the argument he had had with Cody the previous morning when they had received their mission. Well, it had been a rather one-sided argument; Obi-Wan had told Cody he would meet with their leaders on his own and make a good start, for a number of logical and well-articulated reasons. And then Cody had informed him that a squad would be going with him.

And that, as they say, had been that.

Obi-Wan stood for a moment and squinted against the sun. It had been a bit of a trek so far from the hub the native townspeople had set up, to where the refugees were going to be camped, and they were carrying rather a lot of gear; everything from medicines and blankets to kitchen utensils and tent insulation.

Well. His men were carrying a lot of gear. He’d been glared at, snapped at and once or twice bodily pushed out of the way every time he reached for anything, before admitting defeat.

“Mathter Kenobi”

There was a gentle tug at the bottom of his tunic. He looked down to see a tiny humanoid, missing their two front teeth, looking up at him. He smiled.

In the absence of anything else useful to do Obi-Wan had taken it upon himself to herd the group of children to the camp, giving carers a well-deserved break and making sure they kept out from underfoot. There weren’t many, around ten or so, but enough to keep him on his toes. 

He knelt down.

“Yes young one” he said gently.

The small child looked up at him through messy dark hair.

“m’ feet hurt” He muttered. To Obi-Wan’s mild dismay the little boy managed his shyness by putting the hem of the Jedi’s tunic in his mouth.

“I know dear one, not too much longer” he gently tugged the material from his mouth. “Why don’t you climb up?” he said, gesturing to his back “I’ll give you a ride to the camp”

The boy looked at him for a moment, large brown eyes blinking up at him unsurely, whilst Obi-Wan stayed perfectly still, letting him take his time.

Just as he was making to stand and offer an alternative, the boy nodded his head enthusiastically.

“Alright then, up you get”

He made sure to keep his discomfort off his face as the child scrambled up his arm, one small foot colliding with his stomach and hands tugging at his hair. With a slight nudge of the Force he was settled on Obi-Wan’s back, arms around his neck and short legs tucked under his arms.

The boy laughed happily as he stood up, and Obi-Wan felt the infectious happiness glide over to him in the Force as he congratulated himself on his problem-solving skills.

Which, of course, was when all hell broke loose.

“Master Kenobi! Why does Effe get to be carried?”

“That’s not fair, I’ve been walking longer than he has!”

“Master Kenobi! Please can I have a go?”

“Master Kenobi that’s not fair!”

He distinctly saw one of the nearby adults smirk at him as he was suddenly surrounded by the whines of tired and outraged children.

“I…well, of course, shush shush it’s alright” he placated them frantically, starting to panic ever so slightly when he saw several tiny eyes fill with tears. “Why don’t you all take it in turns?” he suggested quickly.

Which is how, for the next three klicks, Obi-Wan added Pack Mule to his long list of titles and ranks.

\---

It wasn’t hard work, and the children enjoyed it immensely. There was a certain amount of pressure to find the right fit for each child but he managed it; The older ones accidentally strangled him a little with their holds, and the smaller ones threatened to slide right off his back.

By the time they all made it to the camp, adults already well under way with preparations, they’d made it through most of the child-friendly stores he knew and he had a Twi’lek toddler sitting on his shoulders, tiny hands gripping the sides off his head, one leg dangling over each shoulder.

Cody ran a bemused eye over him, a few of the clones and adults smiling at the image of the Jedi-Master-turned-climbing-frame and his brood. Obi-Wan stopped just on the outskirts of the makeshift camp, gesturing for the younglings to stay close. It wouldn’t do for them to enter the busy building site.

“General you’ve er…you’ve got something on your shoulders there Sir” Boil pointed out with a smirk, laying down his load of crates with a small huff. 

Obi-Wan gave him his best scandalised look.

“Oh my dear Boil, are you referring to my new Twi’lek scarf? I’ll have you know they’re all the rage at the moment in high society” he said in a ridiculous exaggerated version of his usual accent.

Boil’s reply was drowned out by the loud laughter of the children

“Why younglings, what are you laughing at?” he looked at them, seemingly utterly baffled.

He could feel their simple joy rippling in the force, and the Twi’lek toddler on his shoulders shaking with giggles.

“That’s not a scarf!!!” they chorused

“No? What is it?” he asked in mock surprise.

“NO!” they positively yelled back. Obi-Wan suppressed a wince. Force but younglings were loud! “IT’S SHYYA” they corrected him enthusiastically, laughing at him as if he was the silliest man in the Galaxy.

He put a hand dramatically to his chest in shock.

“Oh my goodness! Why, Shyya isn’t a scarf at all!”

“NO!” They confirmed with joyous bellows, laughing some more.

Obi-Wan grinned at them, gently putting Skyya down and setting her on her feet. He glanced around and made eye contact with a smiling Cody, in the middle of waving a datapad in someone’s face a short way off.

“Alright everyone” he said clapping his hands and drawing their attention. “It’s very important you stay here” he said, making eye contact with as many of them as he could. He gestured to a collection of rocks a short way off. “Don’t go beyond that rock, and don’t go further than that log” he pointed to a log that market the edge of camp and the start of the busy building site.

He received vigorous nods in return.

“Do you understand?” he asked firmly “It’s very important” he said again.

“Yes Master Kenobi” they chorused. Obi-Wan covered his smile with his hand. Gods they were cute.

He wasn’t worried, he’d pick up on any upset in the Force and there were plenty of people about, but if there’s one thing he knew, it was that children were unpredictable.

Joining Cody he attempted to bring his mind back to the task at hand.

“Status update please Cody”

The clone nodded once and brandished his pad again.

“All equipment accounted for and building progressing on schedule General” the Commander informed him.

Obi-Wan nodded. _Of course it was_. He regarded his second warmly. 

He never got to give Cody his compliments however, as at that moment a small child with purple head-tails of some sort barreled into his legs.

“Master Kenobi, Master Kenobi!” the little girl all but shouted up at him. “Come see what we’ve found!” She demanded excitedly.

Obi-Wan shared a dubious glance with Cody.

“By all means General, we’ll continue this later” the clone generously, smirking and gesturing for the girl to lead the way.

Obi-Wan sent him A Look over his shoulder as he allowed himself to be dragged by the hand to the circle of children a few metres away.

“Billa what in the galaxy-?“

He stopped short. The younglings were laughing and shrieking and babbling excitedly at each other, gathered around something small and furry and redish. 

“It’s a tooka!” Billa stated triumphantly.

“I…Yes, yes it is.” He felt Cody saunter up curiously behind him.

“We found it under a tent” the girl explained proudly.

“Well that’s...that’s quite something Billa, but I’m not sure it’s-“

“Master Kenobi!” one of the other children had spotted him and waved the ginger tooka at him. “Look! We found a Tooka!”

Obi-Wan put a hand to his beard again to cover his smile, knowing full well Cody was making no such effort just behind him.

He regarded the skinny, patchy tooka mewing happily on one of their laps.

“Yes you did” he paused, choosing his words very carefully. “I’m not sure though, that it’s a good idea to-“

“Master Kenobi can we keep him?” One of the others interrupted him.

Obi-Wan froze. Uh oh.

“I’m not sure younglings, he’s a wild animal he’s probably got a home of his own” he said gently.

“Nu-uh he was living in the s’pplies” one of the bolder children countered.

“Well that may be, but keeping him is a big responsibility, you’d have to feed him and there isn’t much food” Obi-Wan tried again

“He can have my food”

“Yeah an’ mine!”

“And look after him” Obi-Wan tried again.

“We will! We promise!”

“Please please can we keep him?”

“Yeah please Master Kenobi” the chorus of pleas assaulted his ears, and the damned tooka actually wound itself around his legs as if to join the debate.

“Ah, well…” he paused awkwardly. The children’s eyes seemed to get bigger and a couple of them sniffed. He ran his hands through his hair. “I…well alright then.” he couldn’t stand it any longer. Shaak Ti herself couldn't have held up under that kind of pressure. 

The children cheered loudly and he heard a cough that sounded distinctly like the word ‘pushover’ from Cody behind him that he pointedly ignored. 

“But only if you promise to take good care of him” he attempted to reinforce their new responsibility, but his caveat fell on deaf ears. The younglings were all back on the ground playing with the mangy thing with happy shouts and bubbling laughs.

He sighed in defeat.

“Well I suppose that’ll keep them occupied” he said, folding his arms and turning to the still smirking Cody.

“Yes Sir.”

“Oh shut up.” Obi-Wan glared at his Commander and looked at the pad in his hand. “Shall we finish off?” he said tartly “I was thinking it would be good to get as many men down here as possible for some fresh air before we end up back at the fro-“

_“Look! Master Kenobi wants to play with the ball!”_

The high-pitched shout of glee sounded out clear as a bell and both men froze.

What?

_“No he doesn’t”_

_“Can I play with Master Kenobi?”_

Obi-Wan closed his eyes and resisted the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. Cody looked like his life day had come early.

“Excuse me one moment” he said politely to his commander, offering a slight nod of his head in lieu of wiping the giddy look of the clone’s face.

He made his way over to the children again.

“Children” he greeted cautiously, kneeling down to them. “What…what have you decided to call the Tooka?” he asked, desperately trying to remain casual.

“We’ve called ‘im Master Kenobi” one of them - Effe - informed him happily.

Obi-Wan winced. He could hear Cody taking deep breaths some steps away.

“Right, right. Well gosh that’s very flattering” he started again, keeping his tone nice and bright. “But why have you given him my name?”

“Coz’ he’s orange. ‘An nice.” One of the smaller ones gave him a proud toothy smile.

There was the barest of pauses before apparently Cody broke, and let out a hearty guffaw before catching himself, turning away shaking with silent laughter. Obi-Wan sent him a quick glare over his shoulder. He could feel the tips of his ears turning pink.

“Oh right well…” he trailed off, uncharacteristically lost for words. The children had gone back to playing with the tooka. With _Master Kenobi._ “But don’t you want to pick another name? Won’t it get confusing with two of us?” he asked thoughtfully.

“No….He’s a tooka” Billa pointed out slowly, giving the Jedi Master a rather pitying look reserved for the very stupid.

Cody let out another snort, at this point nearly doubled over with laughter.

“Right, yes of course but why not call-“

“Sir could you give us a hand with these schematics please?” Boil interrupted the argument he was rather embarrassed to be losing, jogging up to him waving a piece of flimsy “They’re in Ubese.”

Obi-Wan glared at Cody one final time as he stood up.

“Commander Cody, you’re in charge” he barked as he moved to take the flimsi from Boil.

“Hmm” he studied it closely, one hand on his beard. “Yes should be easy enough to figure out-“

_“Should we check Master Kenobi for fleas children?”_

Boil’s eyebrows were nearly in his hair as Cody’s voice carried over the shouts of the children.

“LET'S walk and talk, shall we Boil?” Obi-Wan suggested far too loudly, ignoring the inquiring look his companion was giving him.

By dinner time, of course, the whole camp was aware of their new member, and the other Master Kenobi had been accepted lovingly into the fold, Obi-Wan putting up with more than his fair share of jokes with good humour. He wasn’t really that annoyed, Force knows they needed more reasons to laugh.

And he was looking forward to informing Anakin that he was outranked by a tooka.

Though he had made clear to Cody the Very Dire Consequences of the Jedi Council finding out about his new namesake. He could just imagine Mace Windu’s face, and Kit Fisto would never stop laughing. 

\---

Some hours later, Cody looked around at the day’s handywork as he and Boil did one last lap of the camp. It was late, and most of the refugees were safely tucked away in tents, or quietly chatting by dying embers of fires. It had been a good day, of hard, rewarding work and more than a few laughs.

A smile twitched at his face as the unmistakable brown boots of the object of his amusement came in to view. And as they rounded the corner both clones spotted General Kenobi fast asleep on the ground. Mouth slightly open, curled up on his side with his head pillowed on his hands, he had wedged himself next to a pile of crates.

And curled up, nestled snugly against his stomach, was the tooka.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed, I wanted to write the GAR doing some good in a war-torn galaxy and Obi-Wan interacting with tiny little kids. Because the idea makes me squee. 
> 
> But, in the spirit of taking responsibility for what I post, I’d like to highlight that the idea of happy, healthy children in refugee camps is, sadly, the most far fetched element of this story set in a galaxy far far away. 
> 
> Savethechildren.org.uk


	8. Clothes make the Jedi

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Padmè needs The Team to look presentable, she takes matters into her own hands.

Padmè Amidala was pacing. A far cry from her usual cool and collected self she was walking aimlessly through the corridors of the Summer Palace, in search of distraction.

Her comlink had not rung in hours. He should have landed by now. She pulled it out and looked at it for the third time in half an hour.

No messages.

She sighed, stopping to look out of one of the massive windows at the perfectly maintained garden below. It was Spring on Naboo, the perfect time of year for picnics, hikes and…long boring fundraising galas.

It wasn’t officially her husband she was waiting for. She was hosting a gala for the Queen’s refugee charity, one she herself had set up after the Trade Federation had displaced over half a continent. Whilst a valuable fundraising activity, it was really her chance to get major players from the three big shipping corporations in the same room, and persuade them to offer their services for free.

And so, like any sensible person in need of weapons grade charm and industrial strength persuasive skills, she called Obi-Wan Kenobi.

And as luck would have it, it made perfect sense (she rather suspected Obi-Wan just had enough of the whining) for his former Padawan, mission partner, best friend and the love of her life, to come too.

_“Two war heroes are better than one”_

_“We’ll be in the area anyway”_

_“The Senator will need security while you flirt your way to peace”_

She smiled at the familiar feeling of butterflies in her stomach. After all this time, Anakin Skywalker still had her feeling like a love-struck teenager.

She nearly dropped the comm in surprise when it did finally chirp into life.

_“Landed.”_

Well…that was succinct.

\---

She barely resisted the urge to bounce on the balls of her feet as she stood waiting for them at the East entrance to the palace. Flustered and stressed staff rushed back and forth paying little attention to her, frantically preparing for the party; shouting across the service courtyard and getting in each others way. She looked at her chrono. They had just two hours to go.

They were cutting it fine. She was going to give Anakin an earful. Because he was her husband and she could.

She was considering putting in a quick call to said tardy Jedi when the crowd appeared to part, and she saw him. Them. And then her heart promptly made its way into her throat.

They both looked dreadful. Dirt and dust was smeared over both their faces and their tunics were filthy and singed. Anakin’s curly hair looked slightly matted and Obi-Wan’s was all over the place.

She rushed down the steps towards them, remembering just at the last moment not to throw herself on her husband. She badly wanted nothing more than to give him a big hug and perhaps have a little cry into his shoulder.

It had been far too long, and here he was again giving her a heart attack.

“Senator” They both greeted calmly. Anakin had the audacity to grin at her.

“Anakin” she breathed, taking in his face and barely stopping herself from getting lost in those lovely blue eyes, before turning to his Master “Obi-Wan, what happened?” she gasped.

Obi-Wan waved a hand and gave her a wry smile.

“Oh just a minor inconvenience as we left the Rishi system. We’re fine. It’s nice to see you.”

She ignored him and turned incredulous eyes on her husband.

“We _are_ fine” Anakin confirmed. “It was only a small bomb.”

He smiled at her in what she assumed he thought was a reassuring manner.

_Only a small…?_

Her horror went unnoticed by both Jedi.

“Shall we?” Obi-Wan gestured to the door behind her. She paused, eying the two men in front of her with a growing feeling of dismay. They did seem fine but…

“The party is in two hours” she pointed out. It wasn’t nearly enough time to launder and mend their dirty and torn robes.

Obi-Wan looked at her and nodded regretfully as they started to walk.

“And I’m afraid we don’t have any more clothes with us.”

Anakin looked down at himself, brushing some of the dust off his tabard.

“What’s wrong with this?”

His former Master gave him a flat look.

“Well yeah OK, it’s a bit dirty” Anakin conceded “but we did just come from a battlefield!” he said defensively.

The elder Jedi nodded again.

“But we can’t _look_ like we just came from a battlefield. The delegates will think it’s contrived. That we’re rubbing their faces in the fact that we’re doing the fighting for them. And asking for money like this will look like we’re implying they owe us.” The tired Master explained.

Anakin stared at him.

“But we _are_ doing the fighting for them and they _do_ owe us!”

“Yes but we don’t want it to _look_ like that”

“Why not?”

“Because they’ll get…” _The Negotiator_ cast his hand out widely searching for a word “huffy.” he finished.

Padmè’s Bad Feeling worsened. Obviously, her boys were on fine form.

“It’ll look like we’re implying their cowards Ani” Padmè explained “It’ll highlight that their own forces aren’t fighting. Besides, I need you both as diplomats tonight, not soldiers.” She outlined, placing a subtle emphasis on the word both. Despite his role as tag along, she needed him on his best behavior.

Anakin looked at the ground for a moment. Obi-Wan had continued walking and if Padmè wasn’t mistaken, had also continued talking. She squeezed her husband’s arm before pulling him along to catch up.

“…Of course, as soon as we _no longer_ want anything from them I have absolutely no problem rubbing it in that the GAR _is_ doing all the fighting whilst they sit on their chaise lounges sipping fruity drinks and talking about stock prices.”

Padmè and Anakin looked at each other, grinning.

“What?” Obi-Wan gave them a suspicious look.

“Nothing Master”

“It’s nothing”

The Jedi harrumphed and Padmè had a fleeting disappointed thought that it was a shame they didn’t have time for a nap. Clearly, someone needed it.

Instead she smiled sweetly at the grumpy Jedi.

“Come with me, let’s get you both cleaned up, I’m sure we can find something suitable for you to wear.” She resisted the urge to giggle when she caught the two men exchange rather alarmed glances.

Taking out her comm again she rallied her troops.

“Sabè, call the others” she instructed. “I need back up.”

\---

The way both Anakin and Obi-Wan had so quickly transformed from formidable Jedi Generals and war heroes to awkward, flustered teenagers gave Padmè an undeniable sense of power as she surveyed her handywork.

Both of them had been bullied into a shower, and Padmè was amused to hear the faint sound of humming as Obi-Wan was having his turn, Anakin currently drying off in a fluffy robe in the corner she had mentally dubbed ‘Hair’

Her poor husband was squirming as Yané attempted to drag a brush through his tangled damp mop of hair. She made a mental note to tell him how terribly brave he was when the next time they were alone.

She wandered over to the wincing Jedi.

“This really could do with a cut you know” Yanè said disapprovingly as she ran deft fingers through the knots and Anakin made yet another quiet pained noise.

“No, it’s fine” he said firmly. Padmè tilted her head.

“Well if you’re able to, would you mind just taking a tiny bit off the ends?” she asked thoughtfully of her friend, ignoring the indignant noise from the man in front of them.

“ _I_ would mind!”

“Not at all Milady, it won’t take a moment”

“Padmè!”

Her husbands outraged whining was interrupted by the arrival of Sabè, rushing through the door clutching a toiletry bag.

“Milady” she gave a small bow and composed herself “Sorry I’m late, is he here?” she asked, casting her eye around the room.

“Thank you Sabè, he’s still in the shower” she indicated to the fresher where there was now silence.  
A mischievous smile lit up her old friend’s face.

“Oh good”

Padmè rolled her eyes; Sabè had always been a big fan of Master Kenobi. And not terribly shy about it.

“Erm…Padmè” The Jedi in question’s uncharacteristically hesitant tones distracted them.

They both looked over at the tiny crack that had appeared in the fresher door.

“Is everything alright?” she asked cautiously.

“Ah, I don’t seem to have any clothes” came the awkward reply.

Anakin snorted and Yanè gave him a gentle whack with the brush. Padmè smiled.

“There’s a dressing gown on the back of the door for you Obi-Wan, just slip it on for now.” She instructed gently.

“Oh…”

Sabe caught her eye and winked suggestively.

 _'Or don’t'_ she mouthed. Padmè whacked her on the arm.

“Master Kenobi” Sabè called out to him (just a tiny bit too breathily for Padmè’s liking) approaching the door. “It’s Sabè, I have a beard trimmer for you, can I come in?” she asked innocently, brandishing the small toiletries bag.

Her face fell when the door opened a little more only to let one pale hand through, fingers outstretched for the bag.

“No, thank you, could you pass it to me please?”

Wordlessly Padmè elbowed her friend in the ribs as she pushed the bag into waiting hands.

“That’s very thoughtful, thank you” the cultured voice from behind the door said. “I’ll be out in just a moment.”

Sure enough, as she and Sabè wrestled with the two screens they had scrounged from somewhere and were just setting them up as “dressing rooms” in each corner (and listening to Anakin argue with Yanè) the fresher door opened and they had both Jedi at their disposal.

“That feels better” Obi-Wan gave her a grateful smile. He’d obviously towelled his hair dry and it was fluffing up (rather adorably, in Padmè’s opinion) in all directions, his face a little pink. He’d pulled the dressing gown tightly round himself.

“Nice to see you again Lady Sabè”

“Likewise, Master Jedi” Padmè cringed inwardly as her friend, very obviously, looked Obi-Wan up and down.

“I don’t suppose you have any clothes for me?” he asked lightly, though there was no mistaking the light blush across his cheeks.

“Any moment now” Padmè took his arm in hers and guided him over to one of the plush sofas. Barefoot and fluffy, it struck her there was something so soft about the tough, serious man. It was a very jarring picture.

Taking the seat next to him, carefully pretending not to notice the way he pulled the dressing gown even more around himself, she passed him a datapad.

“These are our targets?” he asked, already scrolling through the profiles of the businessmen she’d put together, instantly focussed. She nodded.

“That’s all we have on them, try going for Mister Plaff first, by all accounts he’s useless after a drink.”  
Obi-Wan nodded thoughtfully.

“You sure we can’t just blow something up? Ow!” Anakin chimed in from the corner, staring straight ahead whilst Yanè set to work. Padmè kept a keen eye on how much she was taking off. She did love Anakin’s longer hair.

“It is tempting…” Obi-Wan admitted quietly.

She ignored them both, in favour of looking at her comm again.

Time was pressing.

She was relieved from her fretting by a knock at the door and Sabè immediately springing into action, leaping up to collect the two bundles of cloth from the Page at the door.

“Excellent” Padmè clapped her hands together once, drawing the attention of the room.

“Obi-Wan, if you would please go over there” she gestured to the far corner with the screen obscuring one section of the room “and put these” she thrust the blue bundle at him “on.”

She didn’t wait for a reply, taking the other bundle and approaching Anakin with it.

“And these are for you” she dropped it into his lap, turning to Yanè with an inquiring look. She nodded.

“Just about done Milady”

Sure enough Anakin stood up and stretched, his clean hair now falling artfully around his face with bounce and shine it hadn’t had before.

Gods she was going to enjoy running her fingers through it.

She blushed as Anakin grinned cockily at her, no doubt guessing her thoughts.

“Yes _thank you_ Lady Sabè I am _quite_ capable of dressing myself.”

Master Kenobi’s intensely unimpressed tones obliterated their Moment and across the room Sabè emerged from behind Obi-Wan’s changing screen with a rueful smile.

Padmè shook her head at her shameless friend and rounded on the chortling man behind her.

“Clothes” she commanded, pointing at the other screen and putting one hand on her hip. But she paused as something glinting on the side table caught her eye. She took a moment to acknowledge how thorough her ladies were.

“No wait” she said, picking up the delicate bottle of cologne “come here a second.”

Anakin turned back to face her, eyes going wide as he spotted the bottle.

“No, no! I don’t need any _perfume_ ” he made it sound like something revolting. She grinned and pulled the trigger, spritzing him and laughing as he spluttered.

“Padmè!” he said, a look of utter betrayal on his handsome face. She raised one eyebrow and said nothing.

“Obi-Wan!” her fully grown husband wailed.

“Don’t go crying to your Master, he’s next” she said ruthlessly brandishing the bottle.

The Jedi Master in question popped his head out from behind the screen. Hair in disarray, she could tell he was mid-change.

“Senator” he began politely “if someone is close enough to smell me, they are close enough for me to hit. Charity or no charity.” He informed her conversationally, before disappearing behind the screen again.

Fair enough.

With a light push Anakin stalked off and Padmè picked up the datapad again making her way to Obi-Wan’s corner.

“If you can’t get into a conversation with Mister Plaff quickly enough, I’d recommend talking to one of his daughters.” She said loudly. “I should imagine they’ll find you fairly quickly.” They were worse than Sabè.

“Gods you really are going to flirt your way to peace!” Anakin piped up cheekily from across the room.

“Oh shut up”

Anakin laughed as he came out from behind the screen, spreading his arms wide for her approval.

Padmè took him in. Force she was good! She’d decided to let his natural good looks do the work, and in smart, well-fitting trousers and a plain but stylish jacket Anakin looked for all the galaxy like a fashionable young man going to a party. A tall, strong, handsome young man with beautiful eyes…

“Very nice Knight Skywalker” she said, catching herself and resisting to urge to clap her hands together childishly.

“Well at least one of us is ready” he said loudly “Obi-Wan are you trying to be fashionably late so you can make an entrance?” he teased.

The harangued Jedi harrumphed from out of view.

“I’m still not entirely sure why you’re here you know” he pointed out.

“To annoy you”

Padmè could _hear_ Obi-Wan rolling his eyes.

“Apparently so. Though what that…ah, _oh for kriff’s sake_!”

Anakin and Padmè looked at each other startled, Yanè and Sabè froze. There was a frustrated sigh from behind the screen.

“Apologies that was rude.”

Padmè raised her eyebrows incredulously.

“Obi-Wan, is everything…alight?” she asked cautiously.

There was a beat of silence.

“I don’t understand this cloak.” Came the quiet, and rather defeated Padmè thought, reply.

She covered her smile with her hand. Anakin looked at the screen concealing his Master, baffled.

“That’s because it’s not a cloak, it’s a one shouldered cowl” she explained calmly.

Another beat of silence.

“…right.”

Sabè folded her arms and grinned.

“Would you like help dressing yourself Master Kenobi?” she asked with a sickly sweetness, revelling in her victory.

Obi-Wan appeared from behind the screen. He’d managed most of the outfit, looking very dignified and proper in a fitting blue ensemble that complimented his hair and eyes perfectly (what the Jedi had against properly tailored clothes she had no idea. _‘Probably trying to ruin everybody’s fun along with that stupid Padawan haircut’_ Padmè thought viciously.) he was holding the garment in question out and fixing Sabè with a mildly irritated look.

“If you would be so kind?”

Sabe, to her credit, managed not to laugh. Within moments the dark blue cloth was draped elegantly over him and Yanè produced a comb from somewhere. Plucking it out of her hands and peering in a nearby mirror, Obi-Wan was ready in a matter of moments.

She stepped back for a moment to look at them both. _Force she was good!_ They looked excellent, if a little awkward under her appraising gaze.

She wondered if she could persuade Obi-Wan to let them put a bit of colour into his cheeks, before remembering the perfume.

Never mind.

She smiled at them one more time before looking down at her chrono and clapping her hands together again.

“Well gentlemen, I’ll leave you in the capable hands of my ladies” she said briskly. “Shoes should be arriving any moment and then you, Master Kenobi, can get to work and you, Knight Skywalker, can enjoy the party” she instructed cheerfully.

Obi-Wan simply arched an eyebrow and looked down at himself dubiously, whist Anakin tugged at his jacket.

“Where are you going?” he asked as she swept out of the room, shrugging off Yanè brushing wrinkles out of his shoulders.

“I’m going to go and make sure I am fashionably late so I can make an entrance” she replied teasingly, her skirt sweeping as she made for the door.

“After all, I can’t be upstaged boys.”


	9. Papa Plo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Obi-Wan is injured Plo Koon’s Papa Bantha instincts make themselves well and truly known.  
> Or, shameless fluff with no-nonsense Dad!Plo
> 
> I've tried to tie in with Chapter 3 "Whose coolest?" as a kind of prequel because I really like the visual and the vibe of that one.

Plo rolled his shoulders and adjusted his mask ever so slightly as he neared Obi-Wan Kenobi’s temple flat. It was a route he knew well, a path traversed many times during his long friendship with Qui-Gon Jinn and then more recently as he struck up the same camaraderie with his young colleague.

Frustrating, workaholic, young colleague.

Though of course, Plo mused, Obi-Wan had always been like that, much to the despair of his Master. He remembered long rants from Qui-Gon at his wits end with his overly dedicated student.

Plo hadn’t been able to help much then, he’d just chucked at his friend’s ridiculous problem, but he could now. Obi-Wan had been placed on medical leave with strict orders directly from Mace, Yoda and Master Che to rest and relax. To allow his badly broken foot to heal and his state of near Force-exhaustion to improve. 

He was met with a predictable cheerful greeting as he knocked and entered the flat.

“Plo, what a pleasant surprise!”

Plo gave a polite bow to his friend, who was half lying, half sitting up, on the squashy sofa that had been there for as long as he could remember.

“Apologies, I’m afraid getting up takes rather a lot of time, would you just like to take a seat? What can I do for you?” Obi-Wan smiled wryly and gestured to the matching armchair nearby.

The senior Jedi eyed him critically.

_Still a little too pale_

“Should you not be in bed Obi-Wan?” he asked, pointedly looking at the thick, heavy, old fashioned plaster cast on his friend’s foot.

Predictably, the man on the sofa made a face. 

“Oh no, as long as I’m resting my foot, I’ll be fine” he said dismissively. He gestured to the datapad in his hand. “ Do sit down, I’ve been looking at the analysis of the movements in the Adelphi sector and I think I’ve found…”

Plo found himself tuning his enthusiastic friend out whilst he observed him for a moment. Whilst his broken foot was indeed resting, his leg stretched out along the length of the couch, the other foot was hanging off the side and the rest of Obi-Wan was propped up at an awkward angle against the low arm of the sofa. He had pulled the caff table closer (the nearest third of which was covered in datapads and tablets) and his upper body was turned awkwardly towards it with stacks of flimsi on his lap and another pad balanced on his knee, obviously attempting to work on the table whilst remaining in a lying position.

_Hmm._

“Are you comfortable?” he asked, interrupting whatever business the other man had been going on about.

Obi-Wan frowned, confused.

“Well, yes I’m fine” he responded after a beat.

_Rubbish_

Master Plo got a narrowing of eyes for his dubious silence.

“Have you been listening to a word I’ve been saying?”

Plo shook his head, simply turning to stride into the bedroom, leaving his injured friend spluttering after him.

“Plo what in the galaxy are you – what are you doing with that?” He asked incredulously when the Kel Dor reappeared with one of the large pillows from the bed. Ignoring Obi-Wan’s questions he simply walked behind him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Sit forward” he instructed, giving a light push as the younger Jedi automatically did as he was told with an unintelligent noise, allowing Plo enough space to slot the pillow between his back and the arm of the sofa.

“There” he said, taking in his friends newly supported position with satisfaction as Obi-Wan settled back into it. 

“I…” the other man didn’t seem to know quite what to say. “Thank you this is…better” he admitted with a small smile. He cleared his throat “Anyway I was just talking about – hey!”

Plo leaned over and plucked the pad out of the pale hand and set it down on the table.

“Don’t worry about that now” he instructed, the impressive glare sent his way rolling over him like water of a porg’s back.

“Now _really_ ” Obi-Wan huffed, “that’s quite uncalled for.”

Plo ignored him and was about to make for the kitchen when he noticed the other man’s movements. Obi-Wan was tugging the sleeves of the plain under tunic he was wearing down further over his arms, in a different way to his usual self-soothing habit.

_Hmm. Cold._

He got no questions this time, only a noise of frustration, when he again made for the bedroom. This time dragging one of the many blankets off the bed. He was easily able to bat away the protesting hands as draped it over the supine man.

“Plo! What are you doing?! Would you- I'm not a child I don't need –“

“Hush” Plo commanded, ignoring the protests and tucking the blanket around the grumbling young man. Obi-Wan Kenobi was one of the most impressive people he knew, but by Force he could carry on something terrible!

A resigned sigh and a silent but very annoyed look signaled his charge’s defeat, and he was able to survey his handiwork.

_Hmm. Yes. Much more comfortable. Warm and cosy._

Making it into the kitchen he took note of the cluster of bottles and jars in a sack that had obviously just been dumped onto the otherwise tidy surfaces. He poked his head in.

Protein drinks, vitamin shakes and tablets, all straight from the Halls of Healing dispensary. He frowned.

“Were you not supposed to have these?” Plo called back into the living room “Are they difficult to make?” he asked curiously, giving his friend a chance to explain himself.

Sadly, he did no such thing.

“No!” came the frustrated answer. “Stop poking about in my kitchen! I’m just – I’m not hungry and I haven’t got around to them yet.”

_Right._

Searching through the cupboards he quickly located a glass for one of the smoothies and managed to get the thing opened.

“What are you doing in there?” Obi-Wan’s suspicious gaze met him as he emerged into the living room, quickly turning to exasperation. “Plo really, this is all so nice of you but wholly – thank you – wholly unnecessary” Obi-Wan assured him, not allowing his impeccable manners to slip even mid-argument, much to Plo’s amusement.

It had taken him a fair few years, and many situations just like this one, but even with his goggles on the Kel Door Master had an impressive stare.

One he turned full force on _The Negotiator_ until he took a passive aggressive gulp of smoothie.

Plo smiled behind his mask in a way he knew Obi-Wan could sense.

“Are you quite finished?” the irritated man asked with a trademark unimpressed arched eyebrow.

The elder being cocked his head.

_Hmmm_

His eyes fell upon the piles of work on the caff table, still very much within reach of his studious friend on the sofa.

In one swift move, and slightly improper use of the Force, he gathered everything up and moved them out of reach to a small side table by the door.

As he began to move Obi-Wan made a downright distressed noise.

“Oh! No, no don’t – those are –“ he folded his arms crossly as Plo carefully set the pile down. “I am perfectly capable of catching up on things you know” he said tersely. “I haven’t broken my _brain_ in two places. What am I supposed to do now?”

A quick glance to his left answered that question, and Plo took a moment to marvel at the intelligence of Master Kenobi as he reached for an old-fashioned volume of something that had a bright cover in a language he couldn’t decipher.

“There” he said, handing it over into waiting hands “I’m sure this will do until you fall asleep.” He offered.

“But…Master Plo I really do need to just get a few things done!”

Plo nearly smiled at his esteemed colleagues near whining tone. He hadn’t used his full title for years.

He rested a hand on his friends bony shoulder.

“No, you need to rest, mind and body” he stressed “as you have been instructed.”

The noise Obi-Wan made made it very clear what he thought of his orders, but he protested no further. To Plo’s immense gratification, he actually pulled the blanket closer around himself.

It was light, warm and nestled on the battered and squashy sofa the young Master looked perfectly comfortable, if a little like a disgruntled tooka kitten.

“It will be fine” Plo soothed, in a tone he usually reserved for anxious Padawans. Of which the man before him had been, once upon a time. The senior Master bowed, deeply and with great respect.

“I believe I sense Anakin and little Soka coming.” He informed the other Jedi, who was simply staring at him from his position on the sofa, large blue eyes still looking tired. “I am sure they will take care of you, but if you need anything further, please comm me and I will be here.”

“I really don’t think that’ll be necessary”

“Please, I would like you to” Plo said gently, pushing sincerity and want at the other Jedi in the Force.

“I…well, alright, I will.” Once again, The Negotiator seemed lost for words. In his current state of health he was unable to communicate much with the Force, but Plo got a distinct wisp of gratitude sent in his general direction, and he smiled.

His work here was done.


	10. An Army Marches on it's Caffeine intake

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cody experiences the slow motion car crash that is an overtired 212th Attack Battalion

It was early. Ungodly early, in Cody’s opinion, but completely unavoidable. Apparently, it was important that as Marshall Commander he was up and about to command and…marshal people.

Ignoring everybody else as he trudged through the mess (despite the early hour there were quite a few troopers, Shift B having just ended) towards the god that was the caff machine.

In a weird fit of emotion, he nearly patted it lovingly as it gurgled into action, spooning in the beans from the all-important green tin nestled next to the machine.

Green for caffeinated, red for decaffeinated.

Why they even stocked decaffeinated, he wasn’t sure. Probably something to do with the medics.

He scanned the room again, finding a familiar russet head in one corner, surrounded by datapads and flimsy, clutching an identical cup of what Cody knew would be industrial grade black caff.

General Kenobi’s hot beverage preferences were a measure of how the war was going. When Cody first met General Kenobi the man was almost obsessed with tea. There were blends from all over the galaxy spilling out of his cupboards, half empty cups of the stuff cluttering consoles and driving everybody mad.

But then the war dragged on, and more and more responsibility found its way onto the General’s shoulders, and the tea was gradually replaced by caff as downtime got eaten up by more missions, reports and firefighting.

He got a grunt of greeting as he sat opposite his General and Cody narrowed his eyes. It was unlike the perpetually polite man to be anything less than irritatingly cordial and classy at all times. Hell, he’d seen General Kenobi execute a perfect formal bow with half a dozen broken ribs.

The Commander observed the man across from him for a moment. There was an unusual frazzled air to him; his hair was sticking up in all directions (Cody assumed he’d ran his hands through it frustratedly multiple times) and his big blue eyes were slightly…glassy. In fact General Kenobi’s whole face was weirdly unanimated as he gazed vacantly over Cody’s left shoulder.

“…Sir, everything alright?” he asked cautiously.

“Hmm?” The Jedi snapped back to reality. He jerked and shook himself a bit. “Right, yes sorry Cody” he gave a sheepish smile “I think I’m still easing into the day” he apologised.

“Me too sir.” Cody looked at the piles of work on the table. “How long have you been up General?”

“Oh I made an early start a couple of hours ago” the tired man explained. “Plenty to do, you know” he muttered, before scowling at the mug next to him. Obviously, the caff hadn’t kicked in yet.

Deciding to let it go Cody pulled out his own work and made a start in silence.

\---

It was late afternoon when Cody bumped into General Kenobi again, duties and problems pulling them in different directions. But Cody was there in the hanger, as he always was, when the General’s red fighter docked. He’d nipped out with a couple of pilots to investigate an asteroid that potentially housed a separatist outpost.

He watched the Jedi climb out of his ship and slowly make his way over, flanked by Waxer.

“Sir, any intel?” he asked, assuming position on the other side of his CO. General Kenobi shrugged.

“A couple of suspicious satellites” he explained, continuing to walk towards the communications hub “I’ll give you a full briefing after I check in with the... with the...ah…" without breaking his gait the General cast a hand out in front of him, making a grabbing motion as if summoning the word.

“The Conventus" he finished distractedly, fishing in his belt for his chrono.

Cody and Waxer stopped and stared at him.

“What?”

“Sir, did you just forget the word for Council?" Waxer asked incredulously. Cody scrubbed his hand down his face tiredly.

Their General huffed and turned to them, realising they were no longer walking.

“Well, I remembered it in Ubese" he said defensively.

Waxer’s eyebrows climbed higher.

"Maybe it’s time for a nap Sir?" He suggested. Cody cringed.

General Kenobi gave them a flat look, before turning back around with a tilt of his head instructing them to follow.

“I’ll be fine, I’m sure a cup of strong caff will get my cogs turning again.” He said dismissively. “Thank you gentlemen, I will see you later”

Cody and Waxer exchanged a glance as he disappeared into the room.

“I’ve got a bad feeling about this” Waxer confessed.

Cody wholeheartedly agreed.

\---

Cody was glad to have General Kenobi back on board. Whilst he had only been gone a few hours it had been a rather trying day on board the Negotiator so far, and he was hoping the Jedi’s steady, calming presence would help.

It wasn’t one thing the Commander could put his finger on, but all day the mood amongst the troops had been…brittle. Tempers were close to the surface and silly mistakes were being made. Cody had managed to intervene just in the nick of time when Sargent Boots had tried to wash a gunship with accelerant, and he’d done a double take when Lieutenant Whisk sent through a request with a couple of stray zeros (nobody needs two thousand spatulas). Kix was getting a steady stream of troopers with headaches for no apparent reason and he’d caught a shiny close to tears when he accidently nibbled the wrong end of a stylus and ended up covered in ink.

It was just one of those days.

Sadly, his wish went unfulfilled and the afternoon was full of more snapping and yelling than anybody was happy with. Tag walked into a doorframe, and Cody nearly put the entire bridge crew on report when a series of errors ended up re-routing the main power to the showers.

_What in the hells is wrong with everybody?_

Deciding he needed to remove himself from the situation, he made his way to the General’s study to get started on paperwork.

It wasn’t good.

He had to stop himself from blanching when he entered and was met with the sight of his General hunched over another pile of datapads illuminating his pinched pale features in a ghostly blue hue. General Kenobi looked like a zombie. His eyes were staring at nothing again and his hair was flopping over his forehead.

Stealing himself, Cody approached.

“General” he greeted cautiously. His CO looked up at him with slightly red rimmed eyes. He ran a pale hand down his face and scrubbed at his eyes.

“Hello there Cody”

“Sir, I came about the authorisations”

It took almost a full ten seconds of them looking at each other before the General responded.

“Right yes of course” he blinked and began sluggishly shuffling the datapads about. Cody took the opportunity to lower himself into the chair opposite.

“Here we are!” The Jedi gently. “Apologies Cody I’m afraid I haven’t had the chance to look at it yet…” he trailed off, switching on the tablet.

“No problem Sir – what? What is it?” Cody was instantly alert, General Kenobi was looking at the pad like he’d never seen one before. His handsome features were scrunched up in confusion.

“What the kriff?” the baffled man breathed out softly, still staring at the pad.

Forcing himself not to panic, Cody leapt out of his seat and very nearly rolled over the desk to get to him, but settled himself for walking around and looking at the offending paperwork over his General’s shoulder.

“Er…Sir” Cody stared at the pad a moment, processing the situation, before slowly extending his arm. He plucked the datapad from pale fingers, turned it the right way up, and pressed it back into General Kenobi’s hands.

There was an awkward beat of silence. Cody looked down at his Jedi incredulously as a red flush crept up his neck

General Kenobi cleared his throat.

“Ahh yes. Right that ah…that does help”

Cody shuffled away and back to the other side of the desk.

“Er…Sir, are you alright?” he asked.

“Yes!” the other man snapped. Cody started. It had been a long time since his General had lost his cool even slightly.

Predictably, a moment later the other man sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“I apologise Cody, that was rude.”

Cody nodded understandingly and waited for an explanation.

“I’m afraid I’m just a bit tired” he admitted, leaning back in his chair. When he turned pinched blue eyes on Cody they seemed smaller than usual.

“I’m not sure what’s wrong” General Kenobi admitted quietly, and Cody was downright alarmed to hear a tiny note of whining in his voice as he reached for the mug next to his elbow.

Only to make a very annoyed noise when he realised it was not, in fact, his current cup of caff, but an empty mug with a ration bar wrapper in it.

“Kix won’t give me any more stims” the General explained crossly. “I’ve had so much caff, it’s completely impossible that I’m still tired! I just can’t concentrate.”

Cody blinked. By the end of his little speech General Kenobi was raising his voice and Cody was suddenly quite terrified that his fearsome General was going to cry.

“Er…Sir, this might seem obvious but humour me.” Cody paused, cautious of setting off a bomb. “Have you considered, you know…getting some sleep?” he asked carefully.

The Jedi sighed and pouted ever so slightly.

“Well I suppose I’ll have to now, won’t I?” he acknowledged resentfully.

\---

The end of the Galaxy’s Longest Day was finally in sight. With shift A over and all troopers far away from valuable and dangerous equipment, Jedi Generals begrudgingly acknowledging the need for actual sleep, and the skeleton crew for B shift grinding into action, Cody allowed himself a little time to reflect.

He just needed a quiet sit down with a hot mug of something and his thoughts.

_Kriff, he did spend too much time with his General._

"It’s late Sir, maybe you should have de-caff?”

There was almost nobody in the mess at this time, but a Shiny drying dishes chirped at him from behind the caff machine.

Cody looked at him over the top of his mug.

“This is de-caff?” he said, looking stupidly between his mug and the tins.

“Oh, no Sir that’s caffeinated” the trooper answered confidently.

“No…it’s de-Caff” Cody corrected, gesturing to the tins. “Green for Caff, red for De-caff” he pointed out firmly.

The trooper looked unsure for a moment before answering slowly.

“Respectfully Sir, it’s Green for de-caff because it’s better for you, Red for Caff because it’s bad for you” he paused. “Green for good, Red for bad.” He explained unnecessarily. 

“What? No…” Cody had a very bad feeling about this. “Green for go – caff, red for stop – de-caff” Cody pointed out, moving closer to the trooper and trying not to raise his voice.

The trooper looked at him.

“Private” the Commander set his mug down and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Tell me you weren’t in charge of re-filling the tins this morning” he said slowly.

The trooper paled ever so slightly, and his eyes widened.

“Er…I – I was Sir. I re-filled the tins.” The shiny admitted with a nervous jerk of his head. 

Cody closed his eyes for a moment.

The entire crew had been zombified, his General had been turned into an overtired idiot, and he’d put up with banthashit all day.

All because they’d been guzzling de-caff by the bucketload. 

He sighed, deeply and with feeling. He’d definitely have to address the entire ship’s unhealthy reliance on caffeine at some point. That definitely wasn’t helpful or useful.

But he just wanted to go to bed.

“Alright, trooper.” The Private in question stood to attention. “You’re going to empty both tins, and put them back to the way they were. Green for Caff, red for de-caff” he said slowly. “You’re going to do it quickly, and where nobody can see. You will not mention this to _anybody_ ” he laboured his point “for your own personal safety, and my sanity. Understood?”

The trooper saluted

“Yes Sir Commander”

Cody looked at him, channelling General Kenobi’s piercing, calculating gaze.

“What’s your name trooper?”

“It’s Focus Sir”

_Of course it was._

“I’ll be watching you Focus. You’re on my list”

“Yes Sir.” Focus paused. “Goodnight Sir.”

Cody shook his head as he walked away. He could pull the covers right over his head, close his eyes and pretend none of this day ever happened.

It would be tomorrow in six hours anyway.


End file.
